Sacked Turning Point IT director Ibukun Adebayo says she would rather have her job back than a £0.5m payout

She was found to have been unfairly dismissed by the charity after hacking into staff emails and complaining about abusive messages sent by the deputy chief executive, David Hoare

Turning Point

- This story has been corrected and clarified; please see final paragraph

An IT director who was unfairly dismissed from the social care charity Turning Point has said she would rather have her job back than continue to pursue a claim for almost half a million pounds in compensation.

Ibukun Adebayo was dismissed in August 2013 after hacking into staff emails and complaining about insulting messages she discovered from David Hoare, the charity’s deputy chief executive, which referred to her as "Looney Tunes" and mocked her Christian faith.

In July, a tribunal ruled she had committed gross misconduct but it had been a disproportionate response to dismiss her when Hoare retained his job.

At a remedy hearing in east London yesterday, Adebayo, who is claiming £466,815 for loss of earnings and hurt feelings, said she would rather have her £84,000-a-year job back than the lump sum, saying it would rehabilitate her career and discredit any stigma resulting from the case.

Adebayo, who worked for Turning Point for nine years, also called for Hoare and the charity’s chief executive, Lord Victor Adebowale, who received several of the offensive emails, to resign.

She said that her actions in accessing the emails had not been gross misconduct.

Tom Coughlin, counsel for Turning Point, said it was "not a promising start to rebuilding a relationship with a company" if she refused to accept she had done anything wrong.

Adebowale told the tribunal: "I cannot see how Ibukun could return to Turning Point in light of this. She is seeking to cause embarrassment to the organisation and to myself personally."

The hearing continues.

- The story originally said that Hoare should have been considered for dismissal instead of Adebayo.

- Adebayo has asked Third Sector to clarify that although Turning Point's barrister described her actions as "hacking with a small 'h'", her looking at certain messages should be described as "unauthorised access" because she had not illegally hacked into the system to view them.